Reunion
by Allora Claude
Summary: Narcissa Malfoy is left broken and bruised after the final battle. Everything has been taken away from her except her son and her money....She tries to gain the one thing back she can...her sister.
1. My Sister

**My first posted Harry potter story, I hope you enjoy. It'll tie somewhat into my other story in which I need to finish before I publish, but yeah, enjoy.**

--x--

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Gore and grime covered my face. My fair and beautiful long hair tumbled down to my back in knots with leaves and a few sticks in it. I bit back a sob.

Lucius was gone.

He fled. The Aurors were going to catch him, it was futile. Who knows, Harry Potter and his friends may be the ones to catch up. Merlin knows Kingsley would offer them positions as Aurors, glossing over the fact that they hadn't technically graduated.

I splashed water against her face in an attempt to wash some of the grime off of my face. Everything hurt. At least Draco was safe. At least I could give him that. I was determined to give him everything. He would be happy. He would be safe. At any cost. My helping the Potter boy was enough to pardon the both of us, especially considering Draco's forced service.

I looked again at the mirror, water dripping slightly off of her chin. My musings turned to my appearance. I took more after mother. Blonde and fair; fragile. I laughed a shallow laugh. It no longer mattered.

I thought of Bella's hard jaw line, her long, curling black hair. Before Azkaban, she had been so beautiful. She always had perfect grooming. There was never dirt under her trim finger nails, even after herbology class. I put away all thoughts of the Bella that had died yesterday, but of the Bella that had been my sister. One of my best friends. The one who I had consoled about her and her husband's stormy relationship. He hit her. This was, of course before she learned to hit back. She could have...she just didn't. But she became proud again and soon enough Rodolphus was a push over.

I remembered fond holidays at the beach in Italy, with my sisters. Bella and Annie would tan so beautifully, while I would just burn. Bella was so smart. She was beautiful, she was powerful. Merlin she was strong. She could have done anything with her life. But she changed. I had missed her so much. When she got out of Azkaban, I had been so excited, so elated to see her again. I wondered what the dementors had brought her. Did she think of me? Did she think about Annie?

Annie...The blood traitor. I still would weep into the night, whispering her name when no one could hear. I missed her dearly, but I was told when she chose to marry the mudblood that she was no longer my sister. That she had tarnished the Black family name. I had never been bold. No, Bella and Annie were the bold ones. I couldn't openly disagree like Annie could, I couldn't fight like Bella could. I was just Cissy. The quiet, meek girl. The youngest and fairest, the porcelain doll.

Annie was brave. Annie chose love over the path that had been laid out for us by our family. I was lucky to have had a loving enough marriage...well, not loving, but I had been fond of Lucius. We were both very fond of each other. Bella hadn't been so lucky, but her heart had lain other places.

"Annie.." I whispered aloud. How was she? I missed her so. I wanted..._needed _to see her. She had lost her husband and son-in-law as well as her daughter. I decided. My heart cried to me. I knew she wouldn't want to see me, but even if she just turned me away, to see her face would be enough.

I couldn't leave Draco.

I walked upstairs to his room and knocked.

"..Just go." I heard from inside.

"Draco my love--"

"Mother just...leave." I heard from inside. My heart broke even more.

I slowly opened the door to see him lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"We need to go somewhere." I said, sitting on his bed.

"Where mum? _Where_ do we need to go?" he spat.

"We...We need to go see your aunt."

"Pfft, she never thought much of me. She's dead, killed by that Weasley woman."

"...Not that aunt." I said quietly. His eyes widened.

"...Aunt Andromeda?"

I nodded.

"But but...but why?" He said sitting up.

"I don't know Draco. I need to see her, and I won't leave you." I said sternly.

"You can go I'll stay." he said bitterly.

My eyes welled up with fresh tears.

"Draco my darling..I...I can't leave you. You're all I have left, my son. I just..Draco do this for me. I need you." my voice broke and he looked at me. I flung my arms around him and we were crying.

"Why did it have to end up this way?" he said to me, biting the inside of his cheek. I knew he didn't mean losing the war. He meant losing quite literally everyone except me. My poor baby...

"I don't know Draco, but...but we need to set things right." I said, pulling away slightly.

He sighed and looked at me, Lucius' eyes looking at me, hardened. "Okay." I grabbed his arm and apparated.

We were on her doorstep. I readied myself and knocked on the door.

There was no answer, and as I was about to knock again the door opened.

It revealed Andromeda. She was tall like Bella was, with beautiful brown hair and a far kinder face, though the two could have been twins. Her eyes were red rimmed and she sounded congested when she spoke. "What do you want?" she said quietly, as if it pained her.

My lip trembled. "I...I..." I stuttered. I couldn't do this. I had no right. My beautiful, wonderful grieving sister had no need for me. I was pathetic.

"I want my sister back." I said tears rolling down my face. Andromeda's face hardened slightly. "You could have had her back a long time ago. Why now?" She said, her voice slightly hysterical.

My heart broke. "Oh Annie!" I sobbed and threw myself at her, not so much hugging her as holding on to her as if my life depended upon it. "I need you. I am _so _sorry for all these years. I'm a coward, a bloody _coward_ Annie! I hate myself for it! I can't believe I let this happen. I can't believe it. You are my sister. My sister Annie. I can't do this anymore!" I sobbed hysterically. Everything around me was shattered and broken. I realized Andromeda was hugging me back, sobbing.

We cried for what could have been days, weeks, hours, minutes...The time was not there. I had missed her so much.

"Bella...Oh _god _Bella..." I sobbed. "She's _dead. _She's really _dead._" I cried, I felt like screaming.

Andromeda, tears still streaming down her face looked at me. "Bella Black died a long time ago." she said to me, her face red and puffy.

"I _know_...I know she did. But I just..I can't help it. All those years...maybe if I had said something, anything I--"

"It would all be the same." Andromeda said sternly. From inside the house I heard a cry.

"Come inside, the both of you." She said sniffling. The house was small and cozy, but very unorganized. But it felt like a home.

I heard Andromeda cooing and murmuring sweet words. She came out of her bedroom and brought a small bundle.

"Is that.." I questioned...it was a question but I couldn't bring myself to say the rest.

"Yes...Yes, he is." She held him and patted his back rubbing and cooing, tears streaming down her face as she did so.

Draco was standing and looked at the baby. He put his hands in his pockets and remained silent.

"Oh my goodness Andromeda he's a beautiful baby. He looks like you, turquoise hair tolerating." I said smiling.

"He looks the spit of Nymphadora." She whispered.

"Would you like to hold him?" she questioned.

"I--Oh...I.." but before I could elaborate the baby was in my arms. Her was wearing small footie pajamas. He looked up at me with big amber eyes, but as he looked at mine, the shifted to an exact replica of my blue. I made a shocked face and he started giggling, and kicking his feet merrily, oblivious to the pain and anguish around him. His hair mimicked my fair blonde hair.

"He doesn't realize he's doing it. That means he likes you." Andromeda said quietly. He started to giggle and smile happily, his angelic cheeks were happy and large.

"What's his name?" I questioned.

"Ted. After.." she stopped and I could tell she was stopping herself from sobbing.

"Oh." I said. There wasn't much else I could say, or knew how. I looked at Draco. He seemed scared. I didn't blame him. I was terrified.

"Would you like to hold your cousin, Draco?" I asked.

He paled. "I..Mum, I..."

I walked over to him and passed him the baby. Draco looked uncomfortable as he tried to find a decent way to hold him. He looked at him and sighed.

"I don't know if you've ever met...This is my son, Draco." I said, realizing this statement was true.

"It's good to finally meet you." Andromeda said tiredly, sitting down. She laughed.

I looked at her as if questioning what was funny.

"Oh Cissy, your hair. Let me help." she said. Always the mother, Andromeda was. I glared a slight bit, but smiled afterwards. I felt her untangling my hair and pulling the sticks and twigs from it.

"On Friday," she said slightly cautious. "Harry's taking the baby.."

"Harry Potter?" I questioned incredulously. Draco looked up somewhat shocked as well.

"Yes, Harry is is Godfather you see, and he would like to take Teddy on the weekends, to get to know him and whatnot. Bless his soul...Came up to me right after I had gotten done...seeing Nymphadora and Remus' bodies." Her voice tapered and cracked at the end, adding somewhat of a squeak. tears welling up in her eyes. "Saw that I was upset...poor Teddy. Lost his mum and dad, stuck with me. Best choice Nymphadora and Remus ever made was making Harry his godfather." She shook her head, as if snapping back to reality. Draco looked down uncomfortably. I knew that obviously he and Harry Potter were not friends. I didn't like him much either, since he had cut my poor Draco the year previous.

"I'm sorry Narcissa, Draco. I just can't help it. It's just...It's so hard. First my husband, then my child and her husband...Two of them killed by my own sister! Or what _was _my sister." She spat the last half. "Only thing I regret is not being able to kill her myself! If I could bring her back I'd do it! I fully intend to send Molly Weasley a thank you card!" she spat.

I wanted to tell her no, she shouldn't say such things. Bella was our sister, we loved her! But she was right. Bellatrix wasn't our sister, Bella had loved us. Bellatrix loved only the Dark Lord.

Andromeda quickly gathered herself. "But what I mean is, would you like to go and get some coffee somewhere on Saturday Cissy?" she said quietly.

My heart swelled with compassion. A smiled a smile so underused that I thought my face might break, but I could care less.

"More than anything." I said. "More than anything."


	2. The Death of Bella Black

I felt slightly afraid as I readied myself to meet my sister at the Fat Cat Coffee Emporium on Diagon Alley. This would be my first time out in public since the end of the war, and it was daunting. The Malfoy name held little to no pride anymore; Black even less. But I had decided I didn't care. I was still thankful to be alive and not in Azkaban.

I knew that the Aurors would keep hunting Lucius. He was clever enough to evade them for a while, but it was only a matter of time. A week, a month, a year...It was of no consequence. At least when he was in Azkaban I could see him again. Though I doubt he looked at it that way.

"Draco are you sure you'll be fine all alone here?" I questioned. He shot a glare at me.

"I'll be fine Mother. I'm not two years old." he said. I knew he was still very sad about his friend's death. I didn't blame him, though he said that he deserved it for being a fool I knew it still effected him.

"Well alright sweetie," He blanched at the term of endearment but I didn't care. He was my sweetie, forever my baby boy whom I would do anything for. Bellatrix always called me weak for it. "I'll be back before too long." I said. I looked at my reflection once in the mirror, checking to make sure my hair was perfectly in place. I had styled it with the help from Libby the house elf. Had I known she was be so good at hair styling, I would have asked sooner. She said she had been too afraid of Lucius to approach me while I was getting ready when I asked her why she hadn't offered earlier.

It was styled into a twisting bun that sat at the base of my neck, my hair parted on the side with a golden barrette Annie had given me for my twenty-fifth birthday. She had owled it to me in secret.

Approving my of my appearance, I walked out the door and apparated.

Diagon Alley was an exuberant place. Gringotts was under reconstruction and I scowled slightly. Draco was right that Harry Potter had a flair for showing off. What with stealing from a _Grintgotts _vault escaping through the ceiling on the back of a _dragon_.

I got many stares, glares and insults as I walked down the street, but I kept walking. A Black always walks with pride. I wouldn't make an exception to that rule now.

I walked into the Fat Cat Coffee Emporium. I asked the waiter where Andromeda would be and he led me to her with a few glares that I ignored. He lead me to a somewhat separated part of the shop. I saw Andromeda sitting in a quiet and secluded corner with no one else in the small room. Good. No one would hear us speak. She was sipping a cup of coffee. I sat down across from her and she smiled. Her eyes were still red, but she didn't seem as weak as she had the other night. Upon closer inspection I realized how much she had aged since she had been kicked out of the house all those years ago. Her chocolatey brown waves that I remembered so well were now streaked with grey. Her face had a few smile marks and wrinkles that hadn't been there either. I saw Bella's face and eyes in Andromeda. People wouldn't be able to tell them apart were it not for the hair colour difference. But one look into her eyes and I saw a kindness there that hadn't been present in Bella's for a long, long time.

"How are you feeling?" I questioned my still mourning sister.

"Better. Harry picked up Teddy today and I felt much better. I adore Teddy with all my heart and he makes me so happy, but I just needed a break from seeing Nymphadora's face every time I saw him." she took a sip of her coffee. It was black, just the way Annie had always liked it. I always put loads of cream and sugar in mine. Bella and Annie had always said that way it was hardly coffee at all then.

A waiter came and I ordered a coffee and some cake to go along with it.

"What about you Narcissa?" she questioned.

"I'm...to be honest lonely. Draco is very withdrawn and I can't blame him...and what with Lucius on the run. The ministry has me come in weekly now for veritaserum sessions to see if I know anything about his whereabouts. I find solace only in our house elf Libby. Sweet thing she is..."

"Taken a liking to house elves Cissy?" she questioned wryly.

"She is a very sweet thing, and they're almost so ugly they're adorable." I laughed somewhat. "Plus I never knew, but Libby is wonderful at styling hair, why look at--"

I didn't finish my sentence as Andromeda had burst out laughing.

"What is so funny sister?" I questioned slightly indignant.

"Oh Cissy, you just haven't changed a bit. Having house elves do you hair.." She smiled big and it made me happy to know that at least I could offer her that.

"Narcissa," her face became a touch more serious. "Tell me about Bella and what happened after I left." she said. I could tell it had been bugging her over all these years.

"She argued with Mother and Father for ages about it. She insisted that you had just had a temporary bout of curiosity and there was no need to kick out of the house. It was one of the few things she'd disagree with mother and father about. She missed you dearly, but was too disgusted with herself for missing you to even consider contacting you. When Aunt Walbruga blasted you off the family tree she refused to leave her room for two weeks. She was angrier than when Sirius had gotten sorted into Gryffindor."

Andromeda's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" she whispered. I nodded. "Did she ever...say anything?" Annie's eyes shone with a trickle of hope.

"Well, she used to get really upset about it but she'd never admit she was missing you like I did. When we still shared a room I could hear her mutter your name in her sleep though. She did, however confide in me twice about missing you." I sighed running a hand through my hair. Andromeda continued to listen.

"One time was when she was about to be married. She was afraid. She knew it was her duty to marry Rodolphus, but she was scared and wished you were there. I remember her words exactly. She was trying so hard not to cry not only because it would show weakness but because she had the most lovely make up that day...She was beautiful then. She wore Grandmother's old hair combs and her black hair was so shiny and beautiful...She was the epitome of the perfect Bride, marrying to her duty. And I could tell she wasn't the least bit happy. She was proud to serve the Noble House of Black in such a way, but not happy in the least. She forbade herself to cry that day but she still did, even though she willed it to not be so. In her one moment of open weakness she said to me 'If Annie were here this would be much easier. She'd know exactly what to say.' "

Andromeda bit her lip to stop tears from rolling down her cheeks. Yes Bellatrix was an awful murderess and Andromeda hoped she was rotting in hell for killing her baby and husband, but that had been Bella, her proud and beautiful sister.

"Then the other time...it pains me to think of it..." I winced visibly.

"When?" Andromeda questioned grasping her dress tightly in her lap.

"I...I had come to visit her...at their house. It was a lovely house in the country. You know how Bella loved the country then. She preferred seclusion...but...I had knocked on the door and no one answered so I walked inside and heard something upstairs. I called her name but there was no answer, so I opened the door and," My words got caught in my chest and I took a few deep breaths. It pained me to continue, but Andromeda needed to hear this.

"She was sitting on the floor and clutching herself. She was bare except for her bath robe, her hair had been wet at the time...She was looking at these garish bruises that traveled all up her all too pale arms and legs. She clearly hadn't been outside for a long while." Andromeda continued to listen intently and I kept going. "She finally realized I was there and she got angry. She asked me what I had been doing there and she quickly covered herself with her robe and wiped furiously at her face. Her reprimand wasn't as forceful as it should have been though, I could tell she still hadn't composed herself enough to be as angry at me as she normally would have been. The worst part was when she looked up at me I could see her beautiful face...her bottom lip was fat and split on the left side...her right cheek bone was purple and starting to yellow." I gasped. I hadn't talked about it in so long, I had only written it down in my diary, then buried it away like the rest of my feelings that I shouldn't feel. Secrets I should keep and never tell.

"I tried to help her. I tried to heal some of her bruises before I asked what happened but she became angry with me and told me to stop. I did and then...I said 'Bella...what happened to you?' she bit her lip and tears started streaming down her face and I grabbed her and hugged her. I was still a naive sixteen year old girl at the time, but Bella let me hug her for once in her life." I swallowed, my eyes starting to well up with tears. "When she had stopped crying she quickly became angry at herself for showing such weakness, but I persisted and asked her what happened. We didn't talk for a good five minutes...but then she asked me 'Cissy...do I...do I deserve to be hit?' I looked her straight in the face and I told her no, and I asked her why she would say such a thing. She looks at me and said 'I bet that filthy mudblood doesn't hit Andromeda.' She kind of thought for a bit and then whispered to me 'I do wish Andy was still here...I miss her.' But then she gathered herself, stood up, and told me no one was to know about her moment of weakness as a pureblooded woman such as herself should be proud and perfect, and after all...that was what she was." I put my head in my hand.

We sat there silently for a while. Then I spoke. "I hated that man. I really truly did. He was awful. Bella...she learned to stand up for herself eventually, in the most horrid ways...That was always the way it was, wasn't it? Bella was the always the dueler, she was the strongest of us...you could do anything domestic...could charm anything you wanted...me...I could heal to an extent. If I hadn't married Lucius that's what I would have done." I said.

"When...when she joined..." I gulped. "Him," I couldn't bring myself to say his name. "Bella...she died...but I couldn't believe it. I knew then though, but I denied it. It wasn't until she came to me after she was from Azkaban that I knew that Bella was truly dead and gone forever. It was awful. I don't know if you...if you saw her after Azkaban besides in photographs..." I shuddered. "But her...Her hair had grayed and lost its beautiful shine...her hands were gnarled and just wrong...she wasn't her." I said, trying to take a sip of my coffee in a dignified manner, but my hands kept shaking so before I could bring it to my lips fully I was going to spill all over myself so I set it down.

"Her appearance decided to finally match was inside of her." Andromeda said scowling. "She...she killed my baby." Andromeda almost whimpered.

"I know Annie...I know. And for that I agree with you...she deserves to burn. But Bella...If Bella could find some peace...I'd be happy. Whatever's out there...after...this," I said for lack of better words. "I hope Bella can find her way away. I really do."

Andromeda didn't speak. "I hope that the woman who killed my husband and daughter gets what she deserves." was all she replied cliply. I didn't blame her. Her facial expression softened. "But I do wish she would have let me be there for her. I would have been, regardless of our family and everything that transpired between us. I would have been right there with you Narcissa."

I sighed. "Annie...I've missed you so much. I'm just...I'm so sorry for being such a pathetic coward. I really am." I put my hands on hers, looking into her kind eyes. "Please forgive me Andromeda...I'll do anything to redeem myself."

Andromeda's eyes changed to a somewhat stern expression. "Narcissa...you have done so much wrong..." My heart clenched. "But you're my sister. I love you...always have." She smiled and I felt like my face was going to split into two with the weight of my happines..

"Oh Annie...We simply MUST get our nails done!" I exclaimed exuberantly. Andromeda sighed and laughed a little.


End file.
